First, though, you have to make up the Stonehead mixed spice (much better than the bought stuff).
In a mortar, grind up 1 tsp allspice, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, four cloves, 1 1/4 tsp dried ginger, 3/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, and pinch of ground black pepper. Make sure the spices are ground to a fine powder. I use all of this in the snaps, but you can use smaller amounts in other recipes that call for mixed spice.
Spicy snaps
- 8oz plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Stonehead's mixed spice mix
- 4oz butter
- 4oz caster sugar
- 5 level tbsp golden syrup
- Sift the flour, salt, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.
- Rub in the butter until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the sugar (use your hands, stirring it with a wooden spoon doesn't get as good a mix).
- Heat the golden syrup in a small saucepan until very runny, but do not allow to burn or boil.
- Pour the golden syrup into the mixture and stir it in with a wooden spoon, until it makes a soft dough.
- Pull pieces of the dough away and roll into small balls (about the size of a large grape).
- Place the balls on baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing space for the snaps to spread.
- Place the baking trays in an oven pre-heated to 180C for 12-15 minutes. Keep a careful eye on them for the last three or four minutes - they should be a uniform, dark golden brown but not dark brown. The high sugar content means they reach this point very suddenly and then start to burn.
- Take the trays out of the oven and give them a good whack on a hard surface to make the biscuits snap apart where they have run together.
- Slide the baking parchments off the trays and onto wire racks, then leave for a few minutes to start hardening. Once they've hardened, slide the baking parchment out and leave to cool.
So you get a crisp snap for a while, then a softer chewier biscuit - two for one!
Note: These are very spicy in a gingery sort of way. Some people may prefer to tone the spices down a little but, if so, you may find they become overly sweet. If you then cut the sugar back, you won't get as effective a "snap" as these are like a cross between a biscuit and a hard toffee.
